One key detail missing: It is whispered that Whitman has inked Pete Wehner to write for her. Wehner is in the very top tier of conservative intellectuals and wordsmiths –a huge signal to conservatives that Whitman’s center-right reputation won’t preclude openness to conservative ideas.

Whitman’s main problem? Two other center-right candidates in the persons of CA Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and former CA Congressman Tom Campbell (now my colleague at Chapman Law School.) This crowd leaves the conservative faithful open to the appeal of a much more traditional conservative along the lines of former nominee William Simon Jr. On the other hand, a number of serious conservatives have already signed on with both Whitman and Poizner, and in a crowded field the campbell name has a long pedigree in California politics.

Bookmakers have to favor Whitman at this point and not just because of her personal financial resources –Poizner has those as well– but because her story is very interesting and in the Golden State, story matters more than almost anywhere else. Still, with 15 months until the primary, nothing is fixed about this race except that it will be perhaps the most expensive primaries in history.

It goes without saying that all three will be welcomed on the radio show even though the audience is national. No one in the country should be indifferent to California’s economic future. It either drives American prosperity or drags it down.